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New Yorks Mills breeder permanently barred from selling dogs

NEW YORK MILLS, Minn. - After continuing complaints against her, Kathy Bauck, the former owner of a commercial dog kennel here, has permanently been barred from selling dogs to businesses.

The revocation prevents Bauck from future commercial production or resale of dogs to shops or sellers. Bauck also agreed to sell all but six dogs in her possession. Her license had been previously suspended for two years, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture documents.

Bauck's business, Pick of the Litter, had previously been one of the nation's largest dog breeders licensed by the USDA. At one point, it sold between 3,000 and 4,000 animals a year, according to the USDA.

Bauck was not reached for comment, but her attorney, Zenas Baer, called the revocation a "voluntary surrender of the license on (Bauck's) part."

Members of Bauck's family were fined and also disqualified from licensing with the USDA, according to a news release from the Companion Animal Protection Society, a national nonprofit advocating against abuse of pets.

Bauck and her husband, Allan, were fined $5,000 but could owe $95,000 more in the event of another violation, according to the USDA agreement dated Sept. 14.

Bauck's daughter, Corinne Peters, and her sister, Janet Jesuit, were both fined $5,000 with the potential of an additional $45,000 if there are other violations, according to the news release from CAPS.

In 2008, an undercover investigation by CAPS, the animal-rights nonprofit, found sick and dying dogs at Bauck's facilities.

Following the investigation, Bauck was convicted in 2009 of four misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and torture.

In August 2010, her license was officially canceled. However, according to CAPS, Bauck continued to sell puppies to pet shops even after her license was canceled.

The release states that in one case, an interstate health certificate showed Bauck sold dogs to a fake pet shop called Canine Culture Center in New York City. The address for the Canine Culture Center belongs to Dak Cheongs Meat Market in New York City's Chinatown.

Baer called evidence discovered during the CAPS undercover investigation "fabricated," and said Bauck had been regularly inspected by the USDA.

"There was never a complaint made by the USDA about her care and treatment of the animals," Baer said.